Oktoberfest is something that Americans have appropriated, just like St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, or other celebrations that basically just involve drinking a lot. We love those holidays. One of the best Oktoberfests around the US is in Cincinnati, Ohio, where people dress up their dachshunds in hot dog costumes. When I lived in New York City, I'd go to an Oktoberfest held every year in Bear Mountain in upstate New York. It served German delicacies such as pierogies (No one really knew or seemed to care that it wasn't really German food. And they did taste delicious!).
Almost everyone in the US has heard of Oktoberfest. But there are so many things we don't know. Like that it's called Wiesn in Germany and that it's actually in September. Things that generally confuse Americans about Oktoberfest:
1. Wait, Oktoberfest is in September?
The biggest surprise for Americans about Oktoberfest? The fact it's in September. That's both because of the name (who would have thought an event named Oktoberfest wouldn't actually be in October?) and because of all the copycat Oktoberfests held across the US.
The Bear Mountain festival started in late September and went through the end of October, much longer than the real Oktoberfest.
2 .What's in a name?
Everyone knows the festival as Oktoberfest. Mention the name "Wiesn" to anyone from the US, and they'll look at you like you're crazy. I didn't even know it was called Wiesn until shortly before the festival started.
3. All-night party?
Along with not knowing Oktoberfest is in September, many Americans don't realize that it's not an all-night party but ends around 22:30 each day.
4. Tipping?
Now that's a tricky one. In the US, people typically tip 10 percent to 20 percent for meals and a dollar or two per drink at bars. In big cities like New York and San Francisco, the tips can go even higher. Americans are always told you don't have to tip in Europe, but that turns out not to be true in Germany.
5. Cash?
Lonely Planet says there's no cash exchanged in the Oktoberfest beer tents and you have to use tokens instead. But the tent I was in took cash. Americans are also used to paying for everything with credit cards. It's pretty shocking to be in Germany and find out most places only take cash.
6. Beer prices
Beer prices at Oktoberfest are a big deal in Germany, but in the US, we're used to paying a fortune for beer, at least on the East and West Coast. 11 euros for a liter of beer seems cheap to us (until you go to a beer garden in the Munich city center and pay just 7 or 8. Now THAT is really cheap!). A lot of people also think you have to pay admission to get into Oktoberfest itself.
7. No reservations?
Many Americans don't know you can make reservations for Oktoberfest. We just assume you show up, go in a tent and order beer. By the time many of us realize reservations are a thing, it's too late to actually get one. You have to plan too far in advance for many of us who visit Oktoberfest.
8. Dirndls everywhere
Almost everyone I saw during my first visit to Oktoberfest was wearing a dirndl or lederhosen. I was actually surprised at how many women were wearing dirndls. I didn't think there would be quite so many, including on Americans and other non-Germans.
In the US, dirndls are typically only worn as Halloween costumes, and they tend to be much more risqué than the dirndls worn by real Bavarians. People also typically buy them at costume shops or on Amazon. As you can imagine, they're not exactly high quality.
9. Gingerbread hearts
I also didn't know what the gingerbread hearts were. Blog posts online explained them to me, but most have phrases that Google Translate could not actually translate. And does anyone actually eat them?
10. A family affair
Oktoberfest is seen by Americans as one big beer party. People don't really realize families attend, or that there's a big amusement park area. We all think it's just lots and lots of beer. I saw a little boy in the Schottenhamel tent the first day, and the friends I was with were shocked. Many Americans also have no idea about a wine tent or the Oide Wiesn area.
11. The grounds
The venue was both bigger and smaller than I expected. I thought the grounds would be more spread out, but it's actually really easy to walk from one tent to another. The tents themselves are much bigger than I anticipated, though. I had expected actual tents, like circus tents, not the massive structures set up on the grounds.
Does Oktoberfest live up to all of the hype? Fort he most part, yes. But I still think I prefer regular Munich biergartens.
